Talk:Kiraly Submachine Gun

This whole article, word for word, picture for picture, has been lifted directly from http://world.guns.ru/smg/smg104-e.htm

There is not, as far as I can tell, a single original word in this whole thing.

For the mentioned "lifted directly"...

I choose to put the content I found here, taken from forum.axishistory.com.

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This mainly comes from Dombrády Lóránd: A magyar hadigazdaság a második világháború idején (Hungarian War Industry in WW2), publ. Petit Real, Budapest 2003.

Pages 306-311:

Top brass of Hungarian Army consisted of "old school" military men. Their attitude towards anything new was "cautious" at best. This was the case with SMGs as well. They thought that the sub machinegun is not suitable for frontline service At last the Staff gave SMG a go. Danuvia had a Hungarian-built model, designed by Pál Király. On 2MAR39 the Staff ordered a field test. The SMG performed well so it was to enter service from 11SEP39 as the 39M géppisztoly (model 39 SMG) or - as it was usually called - the “Király géppisztoly”. Danuvia was not very ambitious about the demand on this product so they set a steep price at 290 Pengos each. They estimated that they would break even at 6,300 pieces. The actual orders of the Army still disappointed them. The first order came on 19MAR40 and it was for 1,566 pieces with vague hints at a possible 1,000 pieces a month orders in the future. Regardless of this the Army demanded that the factory should be able to start mass production in 1941. This was not the business Danuvia yearned for so they did not hasten to fulfill these needs. Additional orders came in for 270 pieces in 1940, 150 and 350 pieces in 1941. The total was still well below the 6,300 mark so the company delayed production further. Danuvia was to ship these SMGs between JAN42-NOV42. But the realities of war began to filter through to the brains of the top brass who finally realized in 1942 that in fact the SMG suits frontline service very well. SMG production got top priority and an instant order for 5,600 pieces was placed with additional monthly need of 2,000-3,000 pieces. Shipping of the first 600 pieces was to take place at the end of 1942. As panic rose the Army cancelled all outstanding orders and placed a single new one for 45,000 pieces in NOV42. Monthly production was to reach 2,000 from OCT43. Danuvia was caught unprepared. They raised the price to 375 P but they could not start production right away. In MAR43 they introduced a new SMG: the 43M. It was similar to the 39M save for a folding stock and modification of the magazine feeding system (the magazines of 39M and 43M were not interchangeable). The SMG became lighter and compact. Oh, and its price rose to 686 P. The Army asked Danuvia to stop the production of 39M at 13,322 pieces and switch to 43M. An additional 14,000 was ordered on 30SEP43, shipping until JUN45. Monthly production reached 1,000 in SEP43 but soon production was halted as complaints on the low quality of steel (locks had a tendency to break) began to rise. Better quality material was nigh unavailable. Moreover Germans asked to modify the construction to fire German parabellum rounds. It would have made sense but meant more delay so this demand was turned down. It was apparent that Danuvia will not be able to fulfill its obligations so the factory was ordered to share the blueprints with Fegyvergyár. In NOV43 the latter company undertook to produce 1,000 pieces monthly from JUN44. The Army placed an order for 11,000 pieces of 43M at 780 P on 18DEC43. (N.B. Fegyvergyár never produced any 43M in the end) Danuvia could not switch to the production of 43M smoothly. Mass production started only in FEB44. They shipped a whopping 315 pieces of 43M until 31MAR44 and an additional 880 until MAY44. By this time the last of the 13,322 39M rolled out of the factory. Then 15th USAAF hit the industrial facilities of Danuvia. The SMG section was unscathed but for safety reasons the machines were moved to caves and wine-cellars around Budapest. Production went on until DEC44 when the Red Army reached the place. This final time period is undocumented so we do not know an exact production figure. A report on 29OCT45 talks about 15,319 pieces of 43M but 4,000 should be a safer guess. The machinery was packed up by the Russians and taken away as booty in early 45. It may be worthwhile to mention that Danuvia designed a simple SMG - the 44M – that could have been easily produced (like the Sten) but it was simply too late for that.

To sum up figures: